


The Things You Can't Do Without

by SelenaTerna



Series: Prompt Fics [16]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Bigger On The Inside, F/M, Feel-good type things, Fluff, Prompt Fic, Romance, also I am so jetlagged, beautiful architecture, beauty on the inside, because of course there are, can you tell from my tags?, not sorry, random references to places I love, references to the TARDIS, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-20 23:16:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14904053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelenaTerna/pseuds/SelenaTerna
Summary: The Doctor takes Rose on a special side trip to a very special place.





	The Things You Can't Do Without

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kelkat9](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kelkat9/gifts).



> Hello lovely people, guess who's back and jet lagged as all heck? YEP, that's me. I received the prompts 'holy trinity' and 'Nine x Rose' from the lovely Kelkat just a couple of days before I left Rome, so this is what decided to come out of my poor tired brain. Kelly, I hope you like this fic (or at least don't hate it!). Also, if you're at all interested in such things, this church does exist and it's gorgeous- well worth looking up, or visiting if you can.
> 
> No beta, all mistakes are mine (blame the jet lag- I do).

“’S _beautiful_ ,” Rose breathed.

The Doctor folded his arms, leather jacket creaking. Rose absently wondered how he could stand it in the hot Roman summer.

“Not bad, as human architecture goes,” he admitted grudgingly.

“What’s it called?” she asked, trying not to roll her eyes at the stubborn Time Lord.

The church was breathtaking after, all.

 _“Chiesa della Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini,”_ he answered, tilting his head back to peer at the ceiling.

She blinked, a bit surprised that, for once, the TARDIS hadn’t immediately translated it for her.

It sounded nice, though.

“What’s that mean?”

“Church of the Most Holy Trinity of Pilgrims, roughly translated,” he replied absently, still gazing this way and that. “Looks a bit of alright, actually- much better than the last time I saw it, anyway.”

She blinked. “You’ve been here before?”

He turned to face her, then, rolling his eyes. “Been around for a long time, me- safe to assume there’s a _few_ places I’ve seen more than once, Rose.”

She folded her arms, and stared at him, not at all intimidated by his posturing. “Funny that, seein’ as how you hate even goin’ back to the same place twice.”

He shrugged uncomfortably. “I might’ve been passin’ through when they were rebuilding it in 1587. I was just curious to see how it turned out.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “An’ you just decided to do that today, totally by chance, s’at what you’re saying?”

He flushed. “Not entirely.”

She raised both eyebrows expectantly and he sighed. “Alright, it was deliberate,” he said grudgingly. “I promised the architect I’d check in on the place in a few years, make sure it was alright and hadn’t been damaged or changed.” He shrugged. “Maybe it’s a few more years than he expected, but…”

She felt a smile stretching across her face. “Yeah, probably a few more years, but it’s nice that you’re keepin’ your promise.”

He shrugged again. “No harm in helpin’ ‘im out.”

“Yeah.” She cocked her head curiously. “Why today, though? Why now?”

“Why not?” He asked defensively, tensing. “Don’t you like it?”

“Please!” She scoffed. “Course I like it. As if anyone could not like this place!”

He relaxed, although his arms remained folded. “Fantastic.”

“You didn’t answer the question, though,” she pointed out. “Why now?”

He shrugged. “ No reason not to.” He sighed in resignation at her sceptical look. “An’ I thought you might enjoy it, alright? After what you said about likin’ art and beautiful places, an’ not havin’ the chance to see much of it, I thought maybe…maybe you might like to come here.”

Rose felt a wide grin stretch across her face until she was grinning like a fool. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he said gruffly.

“‘m glad,” she beamed, unable to contain the happiness she felt at the thought that he’d been listening to her ramblings and had brought her to share this special place.

“Fantastic,” he beamed right back.

She reached out and took his hand, sighing happily as she turned to examine the beautiful church once more. “Know what I love the most about this place?”

“The icons and paintings?” he guessed, absently slipping his fingers between her own.

“Nope. I mean, they’re great an’ all, and I could look at them all day, but that’s not it. What really gets me about this place is that it’s like the TARDIS.”

He blinked and turned to look at her in puzzlement. “Come again? I must’ve had you out in the heat too long, Rose.”

She rolled her eyes. “No you didn’t, and aren’t you going to ask me how?”

“Rose-”

“Ask me, Doctor,” she interrupted, giving him the earnest, big-eyed look he couldn’t resist. “Ask me how it’s like the TARDIS.”

He sighed in exasperation. “Alright, Rose,” he said, clearly humouring her. “How is this late-sixteenth century Earth church like my unique, alien time-and-space ship?”

She beamed at him. “Because the outside isn’t like the inside. ’S not that it’s ugly- it’s actually really nice, even pretty, on the outside. But it doesn’t look this big from the outside, an’ it’s _nothin_ ’ compared to the inside. The outside doesn’t even begin to show the….the _amazin’_ stuff that’s inside.” She looked at him meaningfully. “It’s bigger on the inside. In more ways than one.”

He turned to look at her, and her breath caught. Had his eyes always been so incredibly blue and _intense_?

“Hadn’t thought of it that way, but yeah, it is bigger on the inside. Like a lot of things, really- they look nice enough, but still ordinary on the outside, but on the inside, they’re so much more.”

She gulped, because suddenly she didn’t think they were talking about churches and the TARDIS anymore. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” His blue-eyed gaze burned into her. “They’re the things you can’t do without, the things that are… _fantastic_.”

_Fin_

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come visit me at countessselena.tumblr.com


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